Short lecture on Hepatitis B.

1) Cause: Hepatitis B virus.
 
2) Spread by: Blood-to-blood contact, and by unprotected vaginal, oral or anal sex. The
main risks from blood-to-blood contact are sharing needles and other injecting
equipment, a needlestick injury in a health care setting, sharing personal hygiene items
(such as razors, and toothbrushes), and non-sterile tattooing and body piercing
equipment.
An infected mother can pass on hepatitis B to her baby during birth.
 
3) Symptoms: Most adults who are infected don’t suffer a serious illness. Some people
have from mild flu-like symptoms to a severe illness. The skin and whites of the eyes
turn yellow (jaundice), and there can be fever, loss of appetite, tiredness and pain in
the joints.
Most adults recover completely from hepatitis B. However, some people go on to be
long-term carriers, even if they don’t feel sick.
Carriers can infect other people, and are at risk of liver cirrhosis (damage) and liver
cancer years after getting hepatitis B.

5) Tests: Blood test. As this test doesn’t usually pick up new infections, if your result is
negative, you will need to have the test again in 3 months’ time.
 
6) Treatment:  If you are exposed to hepatitis B, there is special treatment that can
prevent infection if you see a doctor immediately.
Long-term carriers can be treated with interferon and/or antiviral medicine.

7) Prevention: Hepatitis B vaccination. Always use a condom.
Avoid sex with casual partners and/or decrease the number of partners.
Never share needles, syringes or any other injecting equipment. Make sure injecting
equipment is new and/or sterile.